Friday, October 14, 2005
Genesis 21
Genesis 21
“Troubles in Blessings”
Now, last we left Sarah and Abraham, they were just coming out of a time when God had protected them. Now we see where God fulfills the promise he gave to them to have a son. This is less than a year from when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and just months after the deliverance from the situation with Abimelech that was in the last chapter.
Vs. 1-7 “Isaac is Born”
Sarah has Isaac, her first child at the age of 90. All is joyous, because God has fulfilled all that He promised in regards to a child. There is celebrations, and much joy. They name him Isaac, as God had commanded them, and they circumcise him on the 8th day, also as God had commanded. So, Abraham has learned to obey, or at least now, when things are going well.
Vs. 8-10 “Problem!”
Sarah is doing fine until she hears that Ishmael, the son that Hagar had when Abraham slept with her, is mocking Isaac. Remember, it was her idea in the first place for Abraham to be unfaithful, and to sleep with her for the reason of having a child. But as always, our disobedience to God catches up with us. Sarah is stricken with jealousy and demands that Abraham get rid of Hagar and Ishmael.
Vs. 11-14 “Sending away Ishmael”
Because of his own personal disobedience, Abraham must send away Hagar and Ishmael. He does this with the comfort of God, but it costs him losing his own son. God does tell him that the boy and his mom will be alright, but Abraham must let them go.
Through the end of the chapter, God promises Ishmael a future, where a race of people will come from him. Then Abraham has to negotiate for a well that is already his. Those in themselves are interesting stories, but for today, let’s stay to the first half of the chapter.
Background:
Abraham and Sarah get a promise from God that they are going to have a son. When they grow impatient and can not see how God could perform this through old people like themselves, they concoct their own plan. Sarah decides that Abraham should go have sex with Hagar, their young Egyptian servant. Abraham, of course, agrees. Hagar, seeing an opportunity for herself, also agrees. All three of them sin, and all three of them pay for it in this chapter.
Sarah sinned by taking the promise of God and doubting His ability to perform. Then she adds to it by taking things into her own hands. She thinks that all is over when God forgives her of her sin, and she gets to have a baby anyways. However, the penalty for her sin is that she must deal with the uncertainty that the affair brought. Every time she looks at Hagar she knows that Abraham slept with her. Each time she sees Ishmael, she sees that very same thing, Abraham’s indiscretion. So now it comes to a head when she finally demands that Abraham send Hagar away.
Abraham sinned when he chose to listen to Sarah. Abraham was presented with the opportunity to sleep with his young servant girl “in order to do God’s will”. Yeah right! Instead of keeping the moral high ground, he succumbed to his own lustful desires, and slept with Hagar. He also didn’t trust in God. Now, he is losing a son.
Hagar, though she is often seen as the innocent victim, had it in her mind to move up a station in life. She thought that by providing a son for her master, that she would reap the benefits. Now, she is asked to leave by the very same master that slept with her before.
We seem to think that because God forgives us for our disobedience that we will never have to face them again. We still must see some of the repercussions of our sin decisions, even after we are forgiven.
We can’t just ask forgiveness after we sin and expect that it never happened.
“Troubles in Blessings”
Now, last we left Sarah and Abraham, they were just coming out of a time when God had protected them. Now we see where God fulfills the promise he gave to them to have a son. This is less than a year from when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and just months after the deliverance from the situation with Abimelech that was in the last chapter.
Vs. 1-7 “Isaac is Born”
Sarah has Isaac, her first child at the age of 90. All is joyous, because God has fulfilled all that He promised in regards to a child. There is celebrations, and much joy. They name him Isaac, as God had commanded them, and they circumcise him on the 8th day, also as God had commanded. So, Abraham has learned to obey, or at least now, when things are going well.
Vs. 8-10 “Problem!”
Sarah is doing fine until she hears that Ishmael, the son that Hagar had when Abraham slept with her, is mocking Isaac. Remember, it was her idea in the first place for Abraham to be unfaithful, and to sleep with her for the reason of having a child. But as always, our disobedience to God catches up with us. Sarah is stricken with jealousy and demands that Abraham get rid of Hagar and Ishmael.
Vs. 11-14 “Sending away Ishmael”
Because of his own personal disobedience, Abraham must send away Hagar and Ishmael. He does this with the comfort of God, but it costs him losing his own son. God does tell him that the boy and his mom will be alright, but Abraham must let them go.
Through the end of the chapter, God promises Ishmael a future, where a race of people will come from him. Then Abraham has to negotiate for a well that is already his. Those in themselves are interesting stories, but for today, let’s stay to the first half of the chapter.
Background:
Abraham and Sarah get a promise from God that they are going to have a son. When they grow impatient and can not see how God could perform this through old people like themselves, they concoct their own plan. Sarah decides that Abraham should go have sex with Hagar, their young Egyptian servant. Abraham, of course, agrees. Hagar, seeing an opportunity for herself, also agrees. All three of them sin, and all three of them pay for it in this chapter.
Sarah sinned by taking the promise of God and doubting His ability to perform. Then she adds to it by taking things into her own hands. She thinks that all is over when God forgives her of her sin, and she gets to have a baby anyways. However, the penalty for her sin is that she must deal with the uncertainty that the affair brought. Every time she looks at Hagar she knows that Abraham slept with her. Each time she sees Ishmael, she sees that very same thing, Abraham’s indiscretion. So now it comes to a head when she finally demands that Abraham send Hagar away.
Abraham sinned when he chose to listen to Sarah. Abraham was presented with the opportunity to sleep with his young servant girl “in order to do God’s will”. Yeah right! Instead of keeping the moral high ground, he succumbed to his own lustful desires, and slept with Hagar. He also didn’t trust in God. Now, he is losing a son.
Hagar, though she is often seen as the innocent victim, had it in her mind to move up a station in life. She thought that by providing a son for her master, that she would reap the benefits. Now, she is asked to leave by the very same master that slept with her before.
We seem to think that because God forgives us for our disobedience that we will never have to face them again. We still must see some of the repercussions of our sin decisions, even after we are forgiven.
We can’t just ask forgiveness after we sin and expect that it never happened.
